Firsts
by xxredemption-love-and-liesxx
Summary: A series of firsts for the new Uchiha family. [sasusaku, ratings vary] 07: First Day at the Academy
1. First Steps

**First Steps**  
xxredemption-love-and-liesxx

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Sarada was now eleven months old. She was a happy child, smiling at her parents and friends. Strangers did not often get those smiles, but she still was adorable. Her hair was short, clipped to the side so her raven bangs fall down onto her face. Her onyx eyes were large and bright, and she was basically the female version of her father. Heck, she sometimes had a temper like him.

The little girl crawled around, cooing and 'ah'ing at everything and anything. She was picking up toys, sticking them in her mouth and sucking on them for a moment before dropping them. Toys scattered the lounge room, and she was under the watchful eye of her papa. It was his go to baby sit his daughter.

Times when he was home, he would often look after the Uchiha child, and he sure as hell was happy to. Mama was at work, and she often had majority of the day off when Papa leaves. Of course, that does not mean that her mother does not have her days off when her papa was home, and today was such a day.

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She was sleeping on the couch; looking as beautiful as always in Sasuke's eyes. He, as weird as it was, loved watching her sleep. And it just reminded him that he had his family again. Besides, he was protective of his princess and his queen. He needed them. As much as they needed _him_.

He knew that his wife loved him, so, so much. And honestly, he could not do a thing without her love. Not anymore. She was his light, his saving grace. While Naruto brought him home, she—as well as Sarada—kept him there. He knew it was nearly time for his travelling to cease to only missions. He wanted to be there for his daughter and wife, and he did not want to miss out on the important aspects of her life. Such as walking and talking, and heck, being able to chew food properly.

Sasuke did not want to be like his father; the father that was never around.

While Sakura understood why he left, he still felt rather upset when his daughter does not seem to recognise him when he returns from lengthy trips. It has happened twice. Sakura had said that it was because babies do not tend to remember things. He knew that was a lie, and that Sakura had tried to make him feel better about the whole situation; and while he thanked her for the way that she tried to make him feel happy, it still hurt.

A lot.

The man's gaze was fixated on his daughter who was crawling on her hands and knees, reaching for a plush, green dinosaur. As she reached the toy, she face-planted.

Sasuke nearly shot right out of his chair to go and help his little girl, but she let out a gurgle and gripped the green dinosaur in her hands and giggled.

'_Resilient child_,' Sasuke thought, sighing to himself, allowing his body to relax on the chair once more.

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Green eyes fluttered open as she heard playful giggling and laughter from right in front of her. She turned her head and looked over to see Sasuke playing with the green dinosaur, and Sarada making noises with the toy cars. Sasuke grinned and let out a small growling noise, that made Sarada drop the toys and clap her hands together.

Sakura watched silently, not wanting to ruin this rare scene from the Uchiha patriarch. She allowed her breathing to become similar to a pattern of that of a sleeping person, and her chakra dimmed. She grasped her shirt, and finally let out a wail of laughter when Sasuke made the most obnoxious face.

Sasuke, like a frightened cat, jumped slightly. He glanced over at her, a slight glare in his dark eyes. He then smirked to himself, and shook his head. He handed the green dinosaur back to his daughter.

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Sakura froze when he stood up and walked to her. He lifted her head, and sat down, before allowing her head to rest on his lap. He combed his fingers through her hair, and watched Sarada continue playing. She eventually gave up with her toys, and crawled to the couch. She gripped onto the sides, and heaved herself up.

Sasuke and Sakura watched, to see what she would do. The little girl staggered as she moved away from the couch, but ultimately, collapsed.

Sakura, like the worried mother she is, was about to dart away from the comfortable lap she was laying on, but Sasuke had a grip against her arm. She looked over at him, alarmed, and was about to demand him to let her go. But he placed a finger on her lips and shook his head.

He pointed over to Sarada, who was already leaning on the dark couch once more. Again, she pushed away, only to fall on her butt.

Her little eyebrows became a scowl, and she stood up again, trying.

A few more times of this, and Sarada had not cried out or complained when she fell.

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"Sakura," the Uchiha patriarch glanced down at his wife, she was watching her daughter (like he was) closely, "I think… she might be able to do it today."

Sakura glanced up at him, "You think?"

"Hn," he grunted, nodding his head, "She's… not giving up."

"She's been around Naruto too much then," Sakura said, covering her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

"As long as she doesn't say that stupid catchphrase of his," Sasuke said, "or smell like ramen… that dobe won't be dead."

The roseate rolled her eyes at this, "As if you'd be able to kill him."

"I would," Sasuke said, "if he even thinks about setting up mini-dobe and my princess."

"Okay," Sakura laughed, "I'd join you on _that_ one!"

"Thought so," the Uchiha muttered, burying his nose in her soft locks.

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"Goo…" Sarada stood up, reaching for the couch for the umpteenth time.

She gripped the material in her tiny fists and pulled away, swaying slightly. She knew how it was _supposed _to work. She lifted her right foot, and dropped it. She took another, and heard her parents gasp. But she ignored them. Two more steps like this, and she fell, well, to be caught by her father.

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Sasuke stopped talking and watched his princess once more. She was trying. Again. She gripped onto the couch and turned around, leaning on it. She took one step; Sasuke's mouth dropped and he was unable to stop his gasp. It seemed to be the same with his wife, it seemed.

She took a few more, before nearly falling down. Sakura was sitting up, and Sasuke caught his daughter before she landed onto the carpet again.

Sakura was watching with shock before she darted over to Sasuke, she crouched down, and kissed her daughter's cheek. Sarada let out more coos, while Sasuke gripped her close.

"Sasu—Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, tears welling up in her eyes, "Sara-chan—she just!"

"I know," the Uchiha said, bring Sakura into his hug, "I told you."

Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and cuddled into Sasuke. He had his bandaged arm wrapped around his wife's waist, and he was holding Sarada by his real one. He knew how to hold his daughter with one-hand since, well, it took him a while to trust the prosthetic one.

"I know, I know," Sakura sighed, kissing Sasuke's cheek, "I still can't believe it."

"I can."

Sakura blinked at him, clearly confused.

"She's _our _daughter, after all," he said, not looking over at her.

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Sarada was sucking on her fist, not understanding the words being spoken by her parents. She watched the both of them, and watched as her mama started crying furiously. Sarada frowned. She was about to start crying herself from seeing her mama cry, but she started smiling, and leaning into her papa.

Papa was smirking lightly, and he allowed Sarada to sit up now. But she did not move, no. She studied her parents and watched as her papa wrapped his arms around her mama.

Mama was giggling and laughing, and hiccupping.

As more tears came, Papa brushed his thumb against her cheek and kissed her tears away.

Sarada let out a gurgle and a giggle, feeling Mama pick her up this time, and hug her. While she did not understand the words her Mama spoke, she still felt rather loved.

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Sasuke cradled his wife for a moment, feeling slightly guilty for her tears, but when she smiled he knew it was fine. He hurriedly wiped them away with his real arm, watching as she grinned up at him.

The Uchiha glanced down at his child, and saw a pout form on her face before she started laughing as well.

Sasuke was slightly confused, but brushed it off as nothing.

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"She—She's walking!" Sakura said, her laughter spilling into her talking.

"Ah," Sasuke grunted, watching as his wife picked up Sarada.

Sakura pulled her daughter close. She was so proud of Sarada, and what Sasuke had just said had left her a pool of tears. He really did not know much his words affected her, did he?

Either way, she was still really happy for the moment.

She kissed her daughter's forehead.

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"I love you."

Both of the Uchihas said, and their little girl let out a coo in agreement.

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_fin_

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**So, let's just keep on giving out fluffy-fluffiness on a daily basis, huh? Like seriously. I should be writing angst or a longer FF, but I'm enjoying this fluffiness so much. By the way, I'm not that great with babies... or how they walk, so sorry about that. Also, I haven't had a kid myself so I'm really unsure as to how parents would react to their child reacting.**

**Also, I had to ask Mum when babies start walking... and I kind of went by when my little brother walked, so yeah. **

**I might do one where she starts to talk next, and I guess that'd be a sequel. If I do, I might call this series 'Firsts', so if anyone wants that, then please do tell. Of course, this might have m-rated content later on from SSs' side *winks*. But yeah, I have some for the Uchiha family, of course, and for Sasuke and Sakura themselves.**

**But please tell me what you think of that, and I'll get to writing the next part as soon as I can.**


	2. First Words

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**Firsts**

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_02: First Word_**  
**xxredemption-love-and-liesxx

[K+]

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It had been a few months since Sarada had taken her first steps. She walked around the house, no longer stumbling. It seemed that she was starting to learn how to run now, and it was an amusing thing to see.

Sakura had taken to reading Sarada books; ones that she points out an object and names it, only for Sarada to point with her and let out a few baby sounds.

She has yet to speak her first word, of course.

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Uchiha Sasuke had returned home from a summit in Suna. He slipped out of his sandals and left them near the front door. While he was at it, he took off his coat and left it on the clothes hanger. He ran a hand through his rather thick hair. A few more seconds passed, and his wife appeared with Sarada in her arms.

Sasuke smirked lightly, "Taidaima."

"Okaeri, Sasuke-kun," the roseate stated, making her way towards him.

He reached her himself, and placed a kiss against her lips before moving to his daughter and pressed his lips against her forehead. His arm had wrapped around Sakura, and pulled her close, as well as his daughter.

"How did the summit go?" Sakura asked, the Uchiha taking her hand and leading her to living room as she spoke.

"Normal. Nothing was really changed. May as well have been a social meeting," Sasuke muttered, clearly irritated, "I may as well have stayed here."

"You know you couldn't have," Sakura said, looking at him, "Naruto needs you there for things like that. Besides, if Naruto…" she shook her head, "You're the next one in charge."

"I doubt I would be best for _that_. He has Shikamaru."

Sakura pulled her hand away and scowled at him. She knew that he was extremely _iffy _about being Naruto right-hand man. Shikamaru _was _important for Konoha, as he was one of Naruto's advisors, but Naruto had made it clear that Sasuke is second in command. Sasuke did not like that, but did not refuse. He did not feel like he deserved the position, because of the fact he was a missing-nin all those years ago.

"Stop saying things like that, Sasuke-kun," she said, pouting at him.

Sarada mimicked her mother, and rather than making the expression somewhat serious, it made Sasuke chuckle. Sakura scowled, because she thought he was meaning her, but he did not notice her daughter's cute little expression.

Sasuke leaned down, and silently asked if he could hold Sarada. Sakura handed her over, Sarada's little hands reaching out for Sasuke. The Uchiha patriarch held his daughter in his arms and chuckled when she lifted her hand and pulled at the side lengths that fell over the Uchiha's face. She tugged rather roughly, but Sasuke did not make a face of pain or anything along those lines.

"Come on," Sakura said, walking into the kitchen now, "I suppose you're hungry, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke nodded his head, and reached for her arm, holding Sarada in the other, "I'll make it, though."

"What kind of wife would I be if I didn't make my husband something?" Sakura said, looking over her shoulder.

"Hn, make yourself something as well, then. … Perhaps we can give Sarada something more solid?" Sasuke asked, pulling hand away.

Sakura smiled gently, "I've been giving her mashed potatoes. And some other things like that."

"While I was gone?" Sasuke asked, looking a little… down.

The roseate turned around—having reached for a pot earlier—she pulled her hands up to the Uchiha's cheeks and stared at him with a serious expression.

"You have your duties, Sasuke-kun," she murmured, "I know… that you hate it when… we do things without you… but with our line of work…"

"I get that," he said harshly, pulling away.

Sakura knew that his anger was not directed at her, but rather at himself. She actually _preferred _his anger to be towards her. She hated seeing him like this; when he self-loathed himself.

"I… I don't want to be that father that's never around, Sakura," Sasuke said, "and I want to see things she learns for myself."

"I get that, Sasuke-kun… but we have to," she explained, "If I need to go out to another village, I would need to. Even if I have Sarada. That's just something I have to do, as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, and you know that I would not want to leave Sarada behind like that."

"They can't though, Sakura," Sasuke retorted, "They wouldn't send a mother who has a child—"

"I am the strongest medic in the village," the roseate murmured, "I have to."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, knowing that was true.

The elders would _force _her to go, even if, hypothetically, Sarada was still needing Sakura for food and other care. She would still be made to go to… whatever it was that she needed to do. Whether it be for a war, or even for a simple mission.

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After the two had their lunch, they were sitting in the lounge with Sarada once more. Sakura had the toddler in her arms, and was quietly reading a book to her. She would point at certain object on the picture book and say them. Sarada was concentrating hard, and trying to pronounce the words, but she still came short. She was unable to wrap her tongue around some of the pronunciations.

However, Sarada was not one to give up, and continued trying to pronounce simple words such as 'dirt', 'run', 'drink', 'food' and other ones such as them. Sakura continued on as well, switching to different books or allowing Sarada to pick out new books that were kept on the lower shelf of their book shelf.

Sasuke was watching, leaning on the three-seater couch. He then called for Sarada, and she dropped the book and walked over to her father. Sakura sighed, and shook her head as she looked over her shoulder. Sasuke placed the little girl on his lap and pointed to various objects in the room.

At one stage, he pointed to Sakura, "Ma… ma…" he said.

Sakura blushed lightly; quite surprised that Sasuke had called her _that_. She was expecting something like 'okaa-san', so it was quite a shock to her system.

Then, he motioned for himself, "Pa… pa."

Sarada blinked a few times, and poked herself, "Bwab wa?"

"Sa… ra… da," he murmured softly.

"Za… wa… der," she uttered back.

"No… Sa… ra… da."

The little girl then pointed towards her mother, "Mwa… mwa?"

"Iie," Sasuke shook his head, "Ma… ma."

Sakura crawled over to her husband and daughter, crossing her legs and she studied Sarada. The little girl was getting better and better, and Sakura would have classed what she had just said as words, but it seemed that Sasuke wanted her to pronounce them correctly first.

"Pa… pwa?"

Close.

"Pa…"

"Sarada?"

"Papa?"

Sasuke blinked a few times and pulled her close, eyeing her, as if he did not believe what she had said, "_Nani_?"

"Papa? Papa! Papa!" the little girl shrieked, slapping her hands together and laughing loudly.

Sakura smiled, "Seems like she said her first word, Sasuke-kun—" the roseate's eyes were on her husband, "Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke wiped his eyes with his free hand before bringing Sarada closer, and resting his forehead against hers. The ravenette pulled her hand up, and placed it against her father's cheek, wiping away the evidence of tears. Sarada pouted.

"Papa?"

Sakura covered her mouth, her own tears welling in her eyes as she watched this little moment between a father and his daughter. It was so… beautiful to see.

Sasuke was so… _amazing_. Times like this, she was glad she was one of the few to see his reactions to beautiful things like this. The roseate smiled, and reached for Sasuke, wrapping an arm around his large form. The Uchiha covered his eyes, feeling rather ashamed, even though it was just Sakura and Sarada.

"Oi, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura pulled his head towards her, "It's okay."

"Hnnn…" he uncovered his eyes, and they were slightly red.

The roseate leaned forwards and kissed both of his cheeks before returning her attention to the little girl he was holding, "Mama is so proud of you, Sarada," she glanced at Sasuke for a few seconds, "As is Papa."

"Ah."

.

_...tbc?_

.

**Well, the second part of this... drabble collection, I guess?**

**Like I said, ratings will change because there are a few ones from SS that I want to do. I mean, it's... something I think that should be done with this collection. So, there will be some smut further on. I don't know any order I'll do this in, so... yeah. There is no way in hell that this will be in order. Some will span to before they had Sarada (duh), and after. Sarada might be older or younger, and all of that.**

**Yeah, so I think that's all covered. I'll try and do an update every two days, but this is because I have ideas for the moment. So, if I get into a block, updates may be... varying. Also, I have school at the moment.**

_**Now **_**I'm done. Well, I hope you enjoyed... ****_this_****.**


	3. First Kiss

**Firsts**  
xxredemption-love-and-liesxx

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_03:First Kiss  
_[T]  
note; based after the events after The Last.

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"Wait, Sasuke-kun was here?"

Kakashi nodded his head, somehow drinking his tea through that mask of his. He placed the china cup down and clasped his fingers together. He watched Sakura who, obviously, was shocked by this information.

"He's gone though," Kakashi said, "he must have heard about what had happened here. It seems that he really is an ally of ours."

Sakura looked saddened for a moment, placing a hand over her chest. She took a deep breath. She should have known that he would have not stayed to even say 'hello' and 'goodbye'. That was just the way he was, and she doubted that would ever change. Besides, if she saw him, she would have wanted him to stay. It has been a long two years of waiting for her, after all.

"And Naruto's wedding?" Sakura asked, peering at her teacher underneath dark lashes.

"No, it seems he won't be present for that either. He has sent his regards to Naruto, but… he seems to think he doesn't deserve to be at something like that," the hokage said, leaning back in his chair, "I understand what he is saying, but…"

"But he should have said something himself," Sakura finished, "How's Naruto taking it?"

"You know Naruto. He's too busy with that Hyuuga of his," Kakashi chuckled, "Though, it's clear that he wanted Sasuke as his best man."

Kakashi ran a hand through his spiky hair and groaned.

Now it was _his _job to be best man. That meant he could not be late. Though, something like that, he would never be late for. He regarded Naruto as his son anyways, and the idiot would probably yell at him for a few hours if he was, well, a few hours late.

"Sakura," Kakashi said, still noticing the depressed expression on his student's face, "it's nothing to do with you. He wants to make up for his sins on his own, and I'm sure that if he saw you, it would be hard for him to leave again for long periods of time."

"What are you—"

"Kakashi-sensei!"

_Bang_!

Then an orange-clad moron was in the room, towing a raven-haired Hyuuga behind him.

"What did I tell you about calling me 'sensei', Naruto? You're going to be Hokage in the next year or two," Kakashi explained, shaking his head at the boy's behaviour.

"Oi! I'm still used to calling you that, Scarecrow!" Naruto said, placing a hand on his hip, "Hey, Sakura-chan!"

"Hi, Naruto, Hinata," Sakura greeted, bowing her head lightly.

Hinata smiled softly, and nodded her head, "Good to see you, Sakura."

Sakura and Hinata had become good friends after the events with Toneri. After that, they were practically the best of friends. It had been a good few weeks after then. Sakura was happy to see Naruto have someone he loved—who loved him back—with him. It was amazing to see Naruto like this; he was even happier, and Hinata, well, she was just a beautiful woman that Sakura respected greatly.

The roseate glanced over to the kyuubi container, "Say, why are you here?"

Naruto blinked a few times and blushed heavily, "Oh, uh… I was asking if I could… borrow something."

Sakura's eyes narrowed before she swatted the back of the dope's head, "You hentai!"

"Itai!" Naruto screamed, cradling his head, "Not _that_! I was gonna ask if I could borrow somewhere for the wedding!"

"_Oh_," Sakura blushed herself this time, "Sorry, Naruto."

"Jeez, Sakura-chan," the blond scratched the back of his head, "You're even _more _meaner."

"Hmph," Sakura cracked her knuckles, "I swear to god if you _literally _go to Kakashi-sensei—""It's just Kakashi, Sakura.""—for that _damned _book, I will chop your balls off."

"I—Iie! I wouldn't…" Naruto looked nervous as hell now, "Besides, Hinata-nyan probably wouldn't appreciate that…"

Hinata looked like she was about to faint, and was leaning on Naruto heavily now. Naruto had realized and closed his mouth, and stopped talking about the subject all together.

Kakashi looked amused in his chair, and was chuckling lightly underneath his breath.

"Good," Sakura said, dropping her fists, and then smiling innocently.

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A few days had passed since Naruto's wedding.

It was a lovely occasion, and it was nice to meet up with everyone for happy events such as that. A lot of selfies were taken, and a lot of food was eaten. Sakura was resting in a park, sitting on a bench and reading a book. She flipped through pages, enjoying her imagination bringing these characters to life. It was just some love story; extremely sappy. But it was still something that she gained enjoyment out of.

The air was nice.

It was night time, but the bench she was sitting down on was illuminated by the light above her. It was just bright enough so she could make out words on the page. She bit her lip, and flicked further and further into the book.

She had been here since the sun set, and she was, honestly, fine with that. It was better than being at home, and listening to her parents complain to her about stupid topics. One of which was the fact that she was moving out in the next week. She had found a nice, small apartment that she would be able to decorate on her own and make her new home. She was ready to start a life on her own.

Her parents were nice, yes, and they would help with moving Sakura's things, but she needed to be on her own. She was nineteen now, and had a good income at the hospital and as a shinobi. However, she knew it would be lonely. She was actually thinking of getting a cat or something. It would be nice to have another life in the house, something she can take care of.

Besides, a cat is something she always wanted ever since she was a young child. But her mother was allergic, so… she really wanted one. She knew she would have to watch out for cat fur all over her apartment, but other than that, it would be amazing.

The roseate closed the book, and laid it on her lap. She then stretched her arms above her head and yawned rather loudly, tears of sleepiness appearing in her bright eyes. She brushed them away with the back of her hand, and let out a loud sigh. Sakura placed her hand on the book, and wondered what else she could do tonight. She guessed it really was time to go home now, but… that was just what she thought.

_Rustle_.

Sakura stilled and listened for noise, before she frowned to herself. She slowly lowered her other hand, and found the hook of a kunai. She laced her fingers around it, and listened out again.

_Rustle_.

_Twang_!

She had thrown the kunai in the direction of the noise, and she heard a yelp in response. A black cat darted out of the bushes and hissed at her before running off. Sakura laughed to herself and shook her head. How foolish of her to think someone would have tried anything. She should have investigated the noise a little more before she had attacked the poor creature.

"What were you looking for?"

She stiffened again, and cursed herself for hurling that kunai. She only carried one on her, since she relied on her fists more than anything. She turned her head to the direction of the voice and smiled.

"Something just scared me—" her eyes widened when she realized _who _was standing behind her.

He made his way towards her, and joined her on the bench. She noted that he was wearing a brown pancho with different coloured necklaces on it. His hair was also a mess, and even longer than she has seen it before. It was being (somewhat) tamed by a blue, torn bandana that adorned his head. He glanced over at her with his mismatched eyes and smirked.

"Sas…" she started, her eyes as wide as saucers, "uke… kun?"

"Sakura," he murmured, looking at her with an amusing expression, "You scared that neko for no reason."

"G… Gomen," she said meekly, dropping her head.

"Why apologize?" Sasuke asked, "You were just paying attention to your surroundings."

"I know… but I still feel bad," the roseate answered, finally glancing in the last Uchiha's direction, "How did you find me?"

"… You're extremely… easy to find… with your chakra signature. It's one of the most recognisable ones I have found," Sasuke answered, covering his head a little, "Part of my ability is being able to sense all of the chakra in a certain amount of area. Yours though… I tend to always be able to sense."

"Huh? Why would you be able to sense _me _more? That makes no sense, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke smirked lightly, looking at her with soft eyes, "I wonder… if you've realized it yet."

"What are you talking about?"

His smirk became larger as he slid off the bench, and offered his hand for the roseate. Sakura blinked a few times before her cheeks became pink. She looked away, and felt Sasuke take her hand off of her lap. Using her other one, she held onto the book, and she was then gently pulled off of the bench.

"It's late. You should go home," he said, eyeing her for a moment, "Besides, I'm sure you have work tomorrow?"

"Iie. Kakashi pretty much gave me a week off. He said I've been working too hard," Sakura explained, and glanced at her hand still being held by the last Uchiha, "Are you… going to let go?"

"Do you want me to let go?"

Sakura's eyes went wide as she bit her lower lip in slight hesitation, "… No."

"Then, I won't let go," he said simply, "You still live with your parents?"

"Yeah… but I'm moving out in a few days," Sakura answered.

"I see. I'll help you with that then," the Uchiha said, nodding his head, "It would be rude of me not to help out."

The roseate looked to him then, "But… why? I can do it myself, and I'm sure you're going in a few days—"

"No," Sasuke said, shaking his head, "I'm leaving in a couple of weeks. At least over a month. I need some rest."

"Where are you staying?" she asked.

"I was going to stay with the dobe, but it seems he's with that Hyuuga onna," the raven-haired man stated, "I'll find somewhere."

Sakura pursed her lips, and murmured, "You can stay with me for a bit. Once I move in. I can see if I can get everything in by tomorrow… and you can sleep in the house for tonight."

The Uchiha tilted his head, slightly confused, "And why would you have me stay in your house? I'm sure you would prefer to live on your own for a while, wouldn't you?"

Sakura giggled softly, "Truth be told, I don't like being alone… and if it's you, I'm sure it's fine."

"Yet, you were here, alone, reading a book?"

"Yeah… I just…" she paused, "like knowing that someone's there, you know? Uhm… that's why I'm going to get a cat as well."

"A cat, huh?" Sasuke said, rather absent-mindedly.

"Hai. I like cats."

"As do I."

Sakura froze and her hand tightened on the Uchiha's one, "Really?"

"Ah," Sasuke nodded, "Okaa-san used to have a lot of them wander around the house. Though, they were ninja-cats, so I suppose that's different."

"That's… nice."

"Ah."

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As they arrived to Sakura's parent's house, Sakura's hand was still being held by ex-avenger. He did not seem to want to let go, and it embarrassed Sakura quite a bit. However, she felt him drop her hand when she opened the door to the house. He, however, did not enter.

"You can come in, you know?" Sakura said, looking over her shoulder.

"I'm sure… that your parents wouldn't appreciate an ex-missing-nin coming into their house without their permission," Sasuke said stiffly, scowling lightly.

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes, "They know about you. It's fine. Come on."

The Uchiha hesitantly followed her to the inside of the small house, and followed her to her room. She showed him where everything is, and told him that she was going to go for a shower.

The raven-haired man sat down on the floor, cross-legged, and looked around. Her room was rather messy, and made his inner-clear freak cringe. He knew that this was her room though, and stopped himself from cleaning it. He would prefer not to get into trouble with her for the moment. Besides, an angry Sakura was a scary Sakura. He had seen her angry at Naruto a few months after his and the dobe's fight, and that was probably one of the most horrifying things that he had seen in a long while.

He rested his intact arm on his lap, and decided whether or not to take off his poncho. It was starting to become too warm, and the material was rather heavy, even though he is able to still move around rather quickly. He flexed his fingers, and decided not to remove the article of clothing for now.

Sakura emerged from the shower (which was connected to her room) in a set of light pahjamas. She then motioned for him to use the shower, in which he declined.

"You have to be sweltering in that, Sasuke-kun."

"Ah," he dipped his head, "I am."

"Then… take it off," she blushed at the double-meaning behind the words.

He shrugged off the heavy material, and folded it with one arm.

"Thanks, Sakura," he murmured as she placed the clothing on her dresser.

She did not hear him though, her eyes were on the limbless sleeve of his shirt. It was long enough so that the stub which was there was not showing, but it was still haunting to see that he had no left arm. He noticed her staring, and gently took her hand and placed it on what was left of that arm. Her eyes widened at this action, but they became normal as she gently held onto him. He pulled her closer, so she was almost toppled over him.

"It's fine," Sasuke uttered out, "I'm used to it."

"That… doesn't mean I am, Sasuke-kun," Sakura doubted she would ever be used to a change such as this.

She wondered how hard daily tasks were for him now, and how much trouble he had doing certain things. She knew Sasuke was smart and evolved to different situations, but that did not mean that she did not feel sorry for him. Naruto was the same—at least once. He had gotten that prosthetic arm as soon as it was functionable. Sasuke, on the other hand, refused.

Sakura had thought that maybe _that _was his compensation for crimes he had done in the past. But that was completely unfair to the last Uchiha. She did not think that anyone should lose their limbs, not matter what they did. She brushed his arm one more time before pulling her hand away, only for him to stop her, and drag her close.

She was… so close.

The roseate could feel his breath on her nose, and she noted that his eyes had so much depth to them. The onyx one was deep. So deep. She could nearly drown in the dark void that were his eyes.

The rinnegan was something that hypnotized her. The purple colouring may have seemed 'ugly' in some people's eyes, but to her, it was fine. It was the same with the sharingan as well. The two of them were just so hypnotizing that they were so beautiful in her eyes.

"Sakura…"

". . ."

The Uchiha pulled her close and pressed a kiss against her nose, before leaning down and claiming her lips.

Her body felt like it had been shocked. Her eyes fluttered closed on their own accord, as she felt him moving his lips against hers. He rubbed her waist, coaxing her to do the same.

She was very… clumsy.

It was easily felt that she had not kissed before, but Sasuke did not care. His fingers clasped around her hip, and somehow, somehow she was on his lap, with her chest pressed against his.

He broke the kiss for a few seconds to breath, and leaned in again for more. His tongue lapped at her lower lip. She knew what he was asking. She opened her mouth, and his glossa followed to explore her.

More minutes of this, and Sakura was light-headed.

This _had _to be a dream.

Uchiha _Sasuke_ of all people was kissing her.

Where had this even come from?

He pulled away, and took a heavy breath. His eyes were on hers, and his sharingan had activated on its own accord. He licked her nose before moving upwards to kiss her forehead.

"Why did you—"

"I want you to be with me."

"Why would you—"

"You really are annoying."

"Huh?"

.

_tbc...?_

.

**Another one done and dusted. Hm... I guess I have to raise the rating, but eh. I was unsure what this should be, since they ****_did _****do a tongue kiss. I'm not that great at kissing scenes by the way, sorry, but I think I did okay. I might do Sarada's birthday next... I'm really unsure. Hm... Oh well.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this one as much as I enjoyed right it.**

**Ja ne.**

**\- xxredemption-love-and-liesxx**


	4. First Doubts

**Firsts  
**xxredemption-love-and-liesxx

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_O4: First Doubts  
_.

**For the Spanish reviewer that took the time to, well, review ****J****  
You said you wanted some more about their relationship, and here we are [I don't know Spanish so I had to use Google Translate]. This will be the only chapter that's full on connected to the previous, unless I feel the absolute need to. Please note that.**

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A few days had passed since Sasuke had kissed Sakura.

He had helped her move from her house, but no more affectionate touches were made from him. He just… helped around the house, and would seemingly disappear for a majority of the day. It puzzled Sakura to no end, and she did not understand his… quietness. Though, he was polite with her and chatted with her, it just was odd.

She did not understand what their relationship was.

It was understandable though. He had done _that _out of nowhere, and seemingly brushed it off as if he did not remember.

It was, actually painful.

Sakura would have preferred him to _not _have done something like that, then she would not be doubting his feelings. She did not know if he cared, or if he was using her, for perhaps other motives…

But Sakura did not wish to think of Sasuke in that light, but the way he had went about it, made it near impossible for her _not _to.

.

.

Her fingers clenched around the basket she was carrying, filled to the brim with fresh vegetables that she had collected from the Sunday market. While she had all the basics she needed in her home—a fridge, a bed, a TV—she had to still collect the actual _food_. She had some ramen and some quick food meals in her cabinet, but she has yet to stock her fridge and freezer with fresh things, and even things like butter.

She walked down the main street of Konoha, random people waving and smiling at her.

She was one of the war heroes; one of the neo-sannin.

Sakura was well known around the village, and her reputation was highly-regarded. While she would not classify herself as the _top _kunoichi, she had no doubts that she was one of the best. It might have sounded bad, but it was true. Tsunade, her sensei, was after all the _best _there was from the many, many kunoichi that took on the life of a shinobi.

"Hey, Forehead-chan!"

The roseate groaned quietly, and plastered a fake smile on her face as she looked in the direction of the call, "Hi, Ino."

Ino halted into step by her friend, and took one of the baskets from her, "So, how's life?"

"Fine, I guess," Sakura said, smiling gently.

"That's good," Ino nodded, "Oh! By the way, I have a few pieces of furniture that I can give over to you."

"Really?" Sakura peered over at her friend, "How much do you want for them?"

The blonde rose a brow, clearly confused, "Uh… it's your birthday in two days, Sakura. Did you forget or something?"

Sakura paused.

She had forgotten.

Hell, she did not know what the date was today. She had not bothered to check.

"Yes, I have, actually," Sakura murmured, glancing over at Ino.

"Well," the blonde said, grinning, "Maybe we should have a night out. I mean, Sasuke is back as well. I'm sure he'd come along."

Sakura bit her lower lip and looked away, "I… kind of wanted a quiet one this year, Ino."(**1**)

"Wait—" Ino shouted in an exasperated tone, "_what_?"

"I… just wanted to stay home this year, Ino," Sakura completely averted her gaze, her eyes on the ground.

Ino pouted for a moment before her face become a happy one again, "It's fine! Just be sure to hang out with me and the girls at some stage though, Sakura."

Sakura grinned, happy that her friend seemingly understood, "Mochiron."

.

.

Sasuke leapt through the foliage, becoming frustrated that he had _once again _lost something like this. It was such an irritating thing, and it pissed him off to no end. He only had a few more days, after all. Yet _this _thing had a way of eluding someone like him.

.

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Sakura was cutting up potatoes, placing the skins in the sink and the pieces into a pot. She felt like some mashed potato tonight, with cream to, well, make it _creamy_. It was a thing she was taught by her mother; it had more than cream, of course. Butter… milk. It sounded odd, but it was delicious. The addition of chives also changed things around; adding more substance to the flavour.

She was cooking enough for Sasuke—who was still living with her—and she would store it in the fridge. He had been returning rather late over the last two days. So, she knew that there was no point in waiting up for him. He always checked on her, seeing as she was sleeping on the couch. However, he had a tendency to take her to her room. He had admitted to this, when she was surprised that she was no longer sleeping on the couch that she had laid down upon, and was comfily snug in her bed, with the Uchiha by her side (not touching her, of course).

_That _morning had confused her when she woke up by his side. He had not touched her, though he was sleeping in a way she could still see his beautiful face. He had woke up much later though, and Sakura had been downstairs, getting ready for work. She had asked him about it, and he had said that he did not want her to have a sore back from sleeping on the couch, and that he was just too tired to go back downstairs.

The former, Sakura believed, the latter though, she thought it may have been purposeful on his part. Though, her doubts about him at the moment do not allow her to think _more _on the situation.

She heard her door open, and she paused before turning the potatoes with a wooden spoon, and then leaving it above the cooking pot. The roseate headed to the door, and Sasuke was slipping off his shoes and coat, placing the sandals on the ground neatly, and his coat swung over his right shoulder.

"Sakura," he greeted softly, raising his mismatched eyes to hers.

The roseate pursed her lips, "You're home early," she stated.

The raven-haired man tilted his head in confusion, "Am I not allowed to be back early?"

"No… it's not that. It's just that, ever since you've been living here," she paused, "you've been out really late."

The rinnegan-user looked away, frowning lightly, "I… have some business I needed to take care of. I have it sorted out now. Others are handling it."

"Oh," she said, not really believing him.

She knew Sasuke; she really did. But with how he was right now, she was unsure. For all she could know, he could be sleeping around with women he picks up on the street. She knew he was human, and a man for one, and that he had _needs_ himself, but that did not mean that she was a bit down by the fact of him styaing late. She was sure he had done it, after all, he was the sort to do things like that, for himself. Besides, his time as a missing-nin was sure to have given him a lot of circumstances where he _could _have sex with a woman, and possibly, very frequently.

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.

The Uchiha scowled at her once more. It was obvious from the way she slightly paled that she was thinking of something unpleasant. His eyes were on her, and he looked a little annoyed. His fingers clenched by his sides as he let out a sigh. He could not say anything, not yet, it was a surprise after all.

.

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Sakura had finished making her dinner and was sitting in the living room eating her food. Sasuke was opposite her, politely eating his own meal. She watched him each time he looked down to scoop up more of the yummy mash. She was sure that it was something _odd _for someone like him. Though, she was sure he has had worse.

She enjoyed this meal, and he could deal with that.

Maybe tomorrow though, she might make him some tomato soup, as he had made the remark that tomato was his favourite food.

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Sasuke finished his meal and placed the metal spoon into the black bowl. He looked to Sakura, and noticed that she was watching him before darting her head back down in obvious embarrassment.

He could not stop himself from smirking lightly as he watched her finish of her meal. He was sure she could feel his gaze, as she did not bother looking up again. She finished her meal in a few more minutes, and he stood up and took both their bowls into the kitchen.

She followed after him, saying that he did not have to go and clean them, but he refused her offer in taking the bowls and washing them herself. He had to pay in _some way _for being able to live with her for the moment. The Uchiha shook his head, heading to the sink and placing them in the sink water, along with the pot and utensils she had used to make the potatoes to begin with.

"Sasuke-kun," she said sternly, folding her arms against her chest, "I can clean it. It's my house. It's something I need to do."

"You're providing me with food," he muttered huskily, "and a bed, this is the least I can do."

Sakura sighed, knowing she could not fight with him. He was sure to just go and ignore her.

He started washing up.

.

.

A couple of days had passed, and it was Sakura's birthday.

Her friends had appeared by the house and wished her a happy birthday, congratulating her on another great year of life. She was stunned and happy with her friends that they had taken the time to visit her. Everyone had brought a gift for her; a sort of home-welcoming present as well.

And moving-nins also appeared to help Sakura load her new furniture from Ino into the house. Ino also had prepared some dinner for Sakura to have that night. Sakura knew her friend was a great cook, so she was rather excited. Though, Ino had said that Sakura should cook the _premade _food, because it always tasted better fresh.

Though, some of the food was already prepared. It would be a feast for Sakura on her own, so she was somewhat glad that she had Sasuke to have some dinner with her. Though, she had no clue where he was. He was nowhere to be found again. It worried her a little because he often said 'good morning' to her. But he was not around.

She guessed he had some other things to do, and did not allow her thoughts to become negative ones. She knew there was no point in that. It was Sasuke's life, and he could do what he wanted.

.

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Sakura had decided to watch a movie; just some documentary one. She was laying down on the couch, watching it, remote in hand. It was a documentary called _March of the Penguins_. She really liked it. Though, many would think that her taste would be weird.

"_Fuck_!" she heard from outside.

She bolted up, recognising it as the Uchiha's voice.

She fast-walked to the door, and found the Uchiha to wrangling with a white neko. He had scratches up his arms, and he was growling lightly. He looked like an animal himself; his sharingan was activated and he looked absolutely _pissed_.

"Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha paused and scowled as the cat seemed to become calm when it noticed Sakura's presense. The creature leapt from Sasuke's arms and trotted up to Sakura, rubbing its head against her legs. Sakura leaned down and petted the animal. It meowed in response.

"What's this about, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, not taking her eyes off of the white cat; she noted that it had a brown spot above its eyes, and that made it even more so adorable.

Sasuke looked sheepish, and had a faint blush adorning his cheeks (which, luckily for him, Sakura did not notice), "This is Shū… I got him from the pound."

"Oh, really? Did you adopt him?"

"I guess… you can say that," Sasuke said, still not having his eye on her, "Actually, he's yours…"

Sakura stopped mid-stroke, the cat meowing its displeasure, "Nani?"

The Uchiha sighed, meeting her again, "You had mentioned you wanted a cat. This one apparently will choose its owner. Definitely didn't choose me. Though, it seems to really like you," he then chuckled, "I _was _going to give him to you a few nights ago, but he escaped from Kakashi's."

"Kakashi?"

"Ah, he was looking after Shū for me," Sasuke said, sighing, "I needed to collect a few things for him. I… kind of snuck them in before. A bed, litter box, water and food bowl and a collar. I'll get some toys tomorrow."

Sakura had tears welling in her eyes as she leaned down closer to scoop up the cat that Sasuke had gifted her.

She looked at him, but noticed the alarmed expression on his face before his face hardened and he looked away, "Why is it I'm always the one to cause you to cry?"

Sakura's eyes widened as she felt his gaze upon her, "Huh?"

The Uchiha hesitated before sighing; what was the point after all? "Every time I've seen you cry, it's because of me."

"…"

"…"

"I'm happy, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, wiping her tears, "like back in the Valley of the End."

"Ah," he understood.

However, he could still feel the same sort of guilt coursing through his veins at everything that he has done to her in the past. While he would never _dare _do the things he had done back then now, it did not mean that he did not think about it. He brushed away his thoughts.

This was no time to be thinking of _that_.

Sakura stood up, and the cat seemingly knew where to go, walking through the open door to Sakura's home and headed inside.

Sasuke took this chance and flash-stepped to stand right in front of her. Sakura was shocked and froze up. Using his own hand, he wiped away the evidence of her tears before dipping down.

.

.

"So… those nights you were away…"

"I was chasing that damned mongrel of a cat."

Sakura giggled at his annoyance. The cat seemed to like him better now, and was sitting in the Uchiha's lap, curled up in a tiny ball. However, Sasuke still looked irritated as _hell_.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, smiling gently.

She was about to stand up to go to bed, but Sasuke had reached for her hand, "Happy birthday, Sakura."

Sakura grinned at him, "Thank you."

"Oh, and Sakura," Sasuke was still holding onto her, "What I said the other night… is still true."

"Hm?"

"I want you to be with me."

Sakura's eyes widened, "Huh?"

"Sakura… I… I know it's not…" he paused and frowned to himself; he knew what he needed to say, but he still could not wrap his tongue around the words he wanted to say.

Sakura's mouth fell open a little before he darted upwards, and met her for another kiss. This was the only way. She had to understand this way.

Seeing as Sasuke had gotten up so quickly, the cat had ran off once more, away from the private moment.

Sasuke drew her lips in, licking her lower lip. She knew his. She opened her mouth to him, and his gentle movements were trying to get through to her. It was _hard _for him to say _those _words. She had to understand. She _had _to. He needed her to, or it would crush him for good.

He pulled away, kissing the top of her forehead, and leaning down so he was at eye level with her.

"You…?"

"Ah," he nodded, lifting her jaw and licking along the length, "Always."

"Na—Nani?"

Sasuke moved to her throat, kissing where his hand had been; nearly taking her life away. He tensed lightly; as did she. However, he allowed himself to suck on the flesh, leaving behind love-bites.

"Sakura… you understand?"

"Hai, I… I do…" she whispered, closing her eyes, and enjoying his ministrations.

He suckled on the flesh for a moment more, uttering, "Good," before kissing her once more.

And within seconds, her doubts were gone.

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_… __tbc_

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(**1**)—This sounds so Australian; I'm so sorry.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed :)

And tada! How Sasuke and Sakura got their cat (oh and the cat was Kishi's cat as well, haha). Someone noticed it on tumblr, and I decided to use that, because, well, Kishimoto. Haha. I guess a slight tribute? (okay, not really)

And rated T because, well, I guess the last bit _could _have gone into smut material, but I didn't feel the need to, and I have something planned for later. Though, one question; married or not married? That is the question, eheh. So yeah, answer that one.

Again, this is to the Spanish reviewer that took the time to review :)


	5. First Birthday

**Firsts  
**xxredemption-love-and-liesxx

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_[05] First Birthday_.  
[K+]

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Sarada wandered around the home, babbling incoherent words. She was under the watchful gaze of one of the many ninja cats that lived in the house. The cat, a ginger one, was sitting, its tail whipping around. Annoyance etched into the feline's features; why was _he_, ninja, looking after a child?

"Bawaba oooh?" Sarada pointed at the cat.

"What are you looking at, brat?" the neko asked, its eyes narrowing, "Keep looking at me like that and I'll scratch your eyes out, kid."

Sarada did not heed the words, and reached her chubby fingers out to grab at the feline's tail. However, the ginger cat leapt away, taking its claws out threateningly. It hissed.

"Stupid kid," he snapped, clearly not amused.

Sarada sat down and pouted before playing with her toes and her fingers. She grinned and laid down on her back, kicking her feet into the air.

The cat watched on, looking completely irritated by the whole situation.

Why had Sasuke left him to babysit a kid?

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The Uchiha hurriedly searched around in villages that were close to the Hidden Leaf. His eyes scanned each passerby store that he saw. It had already been a few hours, and he knew he had to get back before Sakura found out that he had left Sarada in a cat's care. Though, in Sasuke's defense, it _was _one of the ninja cats that occupied the house. And Sakura herself had left Sarada in their care before, but of course, not for the length of time that Sasuke had.

However, he had to find what he was looking for.

His eyes caught onto something that drew his attention. He headed over to the small store; a shack it seemed. An old woman occupied the building, and she was brushing a cloth over one of the many items inside the store. She noticed Sasuke, nad nodded at him, not offering to help him out.

Sasuke looked around, finding a wooden maraca. He picked it up and looked at it. It was a nice design. Cherry blossoms were etched into the instrument with the petals a white. The maraca itself would have been made of rosewood. The dark colouration was wonderful. He shook it, and heard the rattling noises of the toy. He smirked to himself and headed over to the counter—where the old lady not stood, and bought the item.

.

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He arrived home, having collected a few other pieces. He knew Sakura had already made arrangements for food later on, and for that, he knew she would have gotten Sarada something herself. Sasuke had bought some more jewellery for his wife. It was just a simple chain bracelet, but he knew she loved whatever he bought for her, and she would wear it when she could.

Sauske did not bother to buy himself anything, as he had everything he needed.

He headed into the kitchen, where he could hear the coos of his daughter.

The little girl was sipping on a sipper cup, slurping up the water. She looked at her father with her dark eyes and waved her hand. That much she had learned.

The neko that he had left in charge was lying down in a feline-like way; looking like an orange loaf of bread. The cat had its attention on Sasuke, before it nodded its head and hurried out of the kitchen, having had enough for the day.

Sasuke would pay the cat for that later, with some sort of meal it would enjoy.

The Uchiha leaned down and picked up his daughter, holding her in his arms as he grinned at her, "So, did you have fun with Orenji?"

Sarada clapped her hands vigouresly before leaning into her father, closing her doe-like eyes. She yawned and seemingly fell asleep right then and there.

Sasuke sighed and carried her over to her room, and laid her in her cot. He guessed she was exhausted. He regarded her with gentle eyes for a moment before heading out of the room.

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"Taidaima," Sakura called, pulling off her boots and leaving them at the door entrance.

As always, Sasuke appeared, scooping her up in his arms and kissing her in greeting, "Hey."

Sakura closed her eyes and relaxed in her husband's arms.

Sasuke noticed that her chakra was rather low, and lowered his hand to her arm, allowing his own ability to flare up, restoring her chakra. The roseate opened her eyes and looked at him in slight annoyance.

"What?"

"I was fine, Sasuke-kun; I have no shifts tonight and I'm not on call."

The Uchiha shook his head, "Don't care."

Sakura poked his forehead, watching as his cheeks became flushed, "Don't be annoying."

He blinked a few times, "That's my line, Sakura. As is…" he leaned forwards and kissed her forehead, "this."

The roseate giggled, amused at her husband's antics, even I she started it, "How's Sarada been?"

"Good," he grumbled, burying his head into her shoulder, "She's asleep."

"Hmm…" Sakura chewed her lip, "I need to get her up. We have to give her the presents we got."

Sasuke looked up and nodded, untangling his arms from around Sakura's form.

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Sarada yawned loudly, sitting down on the floor in the kitchen. She rubbed her eyes, still sleepy from before. Sakura grinned at the adorableness of the Uchiha child. Sakura leaned down and pinched her cheeks as Sarada tried to pull away.

"Sakura," Sasuke murmured, shaking his head.

Sakura slipped her hands into her lab coat and fished out a small bracelet. It was a silver one, and had various charms on it. One that Sasuke noticed was the Uchiha symbol; it had red and white diamonds making it. Sasuke watched it and smirked to himself. Sakura really did know how to choose gifts.

The roseate slipped out her own necklace, "See, Sarada, you and me match."

It was true. The necklace that Sakura was wearing had the exact same Uchiha insignia with the same design; red and white diamonds.

Sarada reached her chubby hands up and tugged on the necklace. Sakura giggled lightly and brushed her hands away, not wanting it to break.

Sakura reached for her daughter's left hand and gently slipped the bracelet over.

The little girl let out a coo and clapped her hands together.

Sasuke crouched down in front of Sarada, sliding his hands into his coat and fishing out the maraca he had found before.

"When did you get that?" Sakura asked, peering down at the instrument.

"On my travels," he spoke.

Sakura's eyes narrowed, "You show me everything that you gather."

"This time, I didn't," Sasuke muttered.

The roseate did not look convinced, but became silent. Sakura gently took the maraca from her husband and studied it. She smiled lightly.

"This is so pretty though, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke nodded his head as Sakura shook the toy and then handed it to Sarada. Sarada shook it, and laughed at the noise that came from it. She giggled playfully as she played with the new instrument. She shook it over and over.

Sasuke had an irritated look on his face, and somewhat regretted getting this specific toy for his daughter, but she was happy with it, so it was fine by him.

The roseate petted Sarada on her head, and leaned down to kiss atop her head.

.

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"Happy birthday, Sarada!" Sakura cheered as Sasuke helped in blowing out the candles on the little girl's cake.

It was an ice-cream cake; so Sarada could eat it. Of course, Sakura wanted nothing to do with the sweet chunk of ice, but Sakura and Sarada ate it for a good while.

The black-haired child pointed her spoon at her papa; it was filled with ice-cream. His nose wrinkled up as he looked away, only for Sarada to angrily shout at him with incoherent speech. Sasuke sighed, and rolled his eyes before opening his mouth and eating the ice-cream on the spoon. He hissed and looked away, wiping his mouth.

He really, _really _hated sweet things. It was so disgusting to him.

Sakura laughed at his look of disgust before petting his arm playfully, "If Sarada likes it, I'm sure you can _deal _with it, Sasuke-kun."

He snorted and rolled his eyes, "If she wasn't my daughter, I wouldn't have had it."

"What if _I_ asked you to have something sweet?" she asked, her eyes lowering.

The Uchiha hesitated before answering, "I'd probably still have it, even if it's an annoying thing to do."

Sakura leaned against him fully and closed her eyes, "Hm, that's good, I guess."

"Ah."

Sasuke linked his fingers with Sakura's as he watched their daughter devour the ice cream cake that was in her bowl.

A year of her life has already passed, and the two of them knew there would be many more for them both to enjoy.

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_fin_

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Well, I didn't really enjoy this one. Perhaps writer's block's already coming back? I hope not. Either way, I hope you guys liked, I guess, even if I didn't really. I might do another tomorrow, but I'm unsure at this point of time.


	6. First Trip

**Firsts  
**xxredemption-love-and-liesxx

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_[06] First Trip_  
[T]

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**prompt given by ****_helenasxs_****.  
this is part 1 of 2**

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"I'm surprised you're still in the village," the roseate commented as she folded a t-shirt and placed it into the white laundry basket.

Sasuke was eating an apple and reading the newspaper. It was rather odd to see him do something as civilised as that. He was keeping up to date with village events, and apparently, he was to be in a race next week against Naruto around the village. Of course, the Uchiha is yet to confirm it, and Sakura is sure that it is some rumour spread by the village idiot.

Naruto and Sasuke got along rather well now; a lot better in comparison to their teen years. Perhaps it was because they had all grown, and Sasuke had come to accept the blond as his equal. It was a good thing to see, especially from Sakura and her lazy sensei. It was like the old days, and that was something she did not expect to see.

Even though she believed in Naruto, she did not think that things would be even better then back then. She had thought that maybe Sasuke and Naruto would never get along, that they would not be brothers or hell, even _friends_.

But luckily, things seemed to have worked out in the end.

One of the most surprising things for Sakura though, was that Sasuke had feelings for her. For _her_ of all people. She knew her feelings for him; she always knew. But she never expected for him to feel the same, or at least, hold some sort of attraction to her. Though, that was the wrong way of putting it. He had practically said that he loved her back, but then again, he never really stated it at the end of the day.

Maybe she would never hear it from him.

However, he had proved himself, in a way. Sasuke was helping her around the house, kissing her at every chance he had and even talking to her about a few things that had happened when he was a young child. It was a huge shock to her system to hear that from him. To hear his back-story from his lips, and without anything held back. She wondered if he would tell her everything, or if he would tell her parts he only felt like sharing.

Sakura supposed it was the latter.

He was the sort to only share what was needed to share.

Though, she wondered if it was different with her. He had let her in on a few things in their genin days, without any prodding from her. He just _said _them. She wanted to know why, but doubted she would ever know.

The Uchiha looked up from his newspaper before folding it and placing it on the table, "I've got some things I need to do."

"Hm?" Sakura had question in her seafoam eyes.

Sasuke hesitated before looking away, "It's… some stuff I need to deal with. It's nothing important."

Sakura pouted and dropped her head slightly. Perhaps, she had been wrong.

The raven-haired man stood up and strolled over to Sakura. He reached for her jaw, and knelt down before kissing her. He leaned down a little further and licked her cheek before pulling away completely. Sakura was blushing heavily; quite surprised at that little _lick_ he had performed.

Sasuke had a smirk on his face as he waved his hand and headed out of the kitchen, leaving a silently blushing Sakura behind.

.

.

The rose-haired woman strolled around the village. She was in her off-white lab coat. She needed to do some work today, apparently. There had been a boom in pregnancies in the village, especially in the two years after the war. This was simply because partners had not seen each-other for a significant amount of time, making it a rather opportune for unexpected and expected pregnancies to occur, as well as the fact many of these partners had been through some near-death experiences, meaning they were planning for pregnancies.

Sakura had become second in charge at the hospital, along with Shizune. This was because Tsunade was still the number one medic, and therefore, still made decisions for the hospital overall. Tsunade also had a lot more experience than her two students. However, who was going to be head of the hospital next was unknown. Tsunade was not allowing anyone to know—other than maybe Kakashi.

However, Kakashi would be silent about it anyways; there was no way in hell that he would want to face the wrath of the previous hokage. Already, the silver-haired man had been on the other side of a few punches and a few smacks into a wall. Hell, it _was _his fault to begin with, and it amused Sakura to no-end, but that did not mean she thought that Tsunade should have _done it_ in the first place.

As Sakura moved on through the village, she caught a glimpse of Ino and Sai; it seemed they were on a date of some sort. Even though Ino worked at the hospital as well, that did not mean that she had the same shifts as Sakura. It seemed that there shifts were much different; more than anything else, Ino would work at a specific time where Sakura _would not _work. She guessed it was just how the shifts were made, so she did not think much of it.

The blonde noticed Sakura, and waved her over. Sakura walked over to the couple who were at an ice-cream shop, enjoying the creamy, cold sweet. Sakura grinned at her friend as Sai nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"How are you both?" Sakura asked, smiling gently.

Ino dropped her spoon, "Hm… you know… I have some news to announce though…"

"Huh?"

The blonde girl grinned happily and shifted her left hand over to Sakura. The roseate seemed confused, but noticed the glint of a diamond and silver. Her mouth opened and closed before she let out a gasp of shock.

"Oh my gosh, you're engaged?" Sakura said, excitedly.

Sai smirked lightly while Ino was grinning like a fool, "Yep. He proposed last night. I really didn't expect it, but it was pretty romantic."

It was true. Sai had learned a lot in his time with Ino; their relationship bordering on three years. After all, they had hooked up right after the war. Ino was patient with Sai, actually. She taught him emotions, and he was less emotionless these days. She guessed he was a lot like Sasuke (at least when the Uchiha was stoic) and hid most of his emotions. However, when a burst of a strong emotion appears and is felt by him, he would show it.

Sakura really was happy for the couple; both Ino and Sai deserved something like that.

"Congrats, Pig-chan," the roseate stated, beaming happily.

"Oh why, thank you, Forehead-chan," the blonde murmured, smiling.

Sakura then turned to Sai, her eyes narrowing into slits, "I swear to kami that if you hurt Ino, I'll chop your balls off and force them down your throat."

Sai gulped before looking away, a slight blush dusting his features, "I… wouldn't do that."

"_Good_," Sakura said, cracking her knuckles in a threatening way, "Well, I'm going to have to go. Though, seriously, congratulations you two!"

The couple and Sakura said their goodbyes and Sakura headed over to do her shift.

.

.

Kakashi and Sasuke stared each-other down; two sets of onyx eyes glaring heatedly at one another.

"I need that permit."  
"What are you going to do to poor, poor Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth and scowled, "It's none of your business."

"Oh, really?" Kakashi asked, his eyes narrowing, "Sakura is my student—""—As am I."

The hokage looked like he was fuming silently underneath his mask before looking away, "These permits of yours are for missions."

"Iie, I know the contract. They are for my right out of the village," the Uchiha said, his dark eyes shifting onto the sheet of paper in front of his old sensei.

If only he had seen Kakashi's signature and went and forged it, then he would not be having this issue as of right now. He peered back at the hokage's mask-clad face.

The silver-haired man crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, "What are you going to do with her? You're not going to hurt her, are you?"

"Of course not," Sasuke spat, "What type of person do you think I am?"

Hatake sighed and shook his head a few times, "How long?"

"A day… or two," Sasuke answered simply, looking away from the curious eyes of his old sensei.

"A day or two…" Kakashi repeated, smirking knowingly underneath his mask, "I wonder what things you could do to our little cherry blossom in that time."

The Uchiha blushed and let out a curse before deciding whether or not it was worth killing the man over that comment. Of course, he was sure that Sakura would not be very happy with him, and that he would not be accepted into the village ever again—or any village, for that matter. Though, he was still questioning whether or not all of that was worth it.

At the end though, he would prefer to stay in the village then kill his stupid teacher.

"Fine, fine," Kakashi waved his hand, "It seems you're serious about this, but I must ask, how are you going to please her with only one hand?"

"… I have my ways," Sasuke said, averting eye contact.

.

.

Sakura brushed her hand over the infant's chest, forcing her chakra inside the little one, and little by little, draining out the water. She was a water-style shinobi after all, and that made things easier for her. She was able to heal the little one much easier. Her fingers flexed as she was able to rid the liquid from the baby's lungs, and the little one cried out, wanting its mother, obviously. Sakura wrapped up the baby in a blue bundle, and handed it to one of the nurses who were waiting on stand-by.

The roseate sighed; she was still feeling energetic and ready to go, but she still dreaded the next six hours of this.

.

.

Finally, work was over. She headed out of the building, only to be grabbed by someone. They had covered her mouth so she would not scream, and they uttered a 'don't scream' sort of order in her ear. She quietened down as they released their grip (and she realized she was outside of Konoha's gates). Though, the moment she noticed that, she knew it was her raven-haired teammate.

She turned to face him, and noted that he looked a lot more, as they say, well-dressed at this point of time. Of course, he always looked really good, but that was not the point. He just… had this air about him. The odd thing was, was that he was wearing his ordinary clothes, but his whole… aura was a gentle one, and he was calm.

His mismatched—no, one eye was closed; his rinnegan eye—made their way to her.

"Come, you said you wanted to travel?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura's eyes widened in bewilderment, "D—Demo… work?"

"Kakashi gave you some time off… three days to be exact," Sasuke murmured in response.

It seemed that Kakashi gave them extra time, which was a kind thing to do. However, Sasuke was fine with whatever time he could spend with the rose-haired kunoichi he had grown to be so fond of.

"Though… I guess we're somewhat cheating in the travelling department," the ex-avenger stated.

Sakura noticed that he was standing in a summoning circle. Something had been summoned. She knew all of Sasuke's summons, and had tended to them during his stay in Konoha. It was just something he had asked her to do, which was something she was completely, and utterly, fine with. It had surprised her, of course, that he would want her to do something like that, but she still loved it, nonetheless.

Garuda, the elegant, brown hawk was preening its feathers behind Sakura. The roseate let out a gasp as the bird regarded her with silent, golden eyes. The bird was respectful. While it did not speak Japanese like most summons, it was still a bird of prey one could trust.

The bird had apparently been with Sasuke for a few years, and therefore, they were a team that worked well together. It seemed that Sasuke also understood what the bird was saying or thinking, even if the over-grown hawk did not actually speak.

Garuda let out a light chirp and hopped over to Sakura, dropping his large head. Sakura petted the animal, stroking the soft feathers near its razor sharp beak. She smiled softly as the birds eyes closed, allowing itself to be vulnerable to Sakura. Even most summons did not do this. They, like shinobi, often checked their surroundings and tended to not drop their guard. It was just how they were trained and taught.

Sakura pulled her hand away, and the bird fluffed up its feathers and shook its head, being sure not to accidently hurt the roseate.

Sasuke watched on silently, gazing at the exchange that had went on with Sakura and his summon. He knew that she was good with his summons, even Aoda was happy with her. His snakes and hawks had a tendency to like Sakura, and that was something he did not understand. It really, at the end of the day, confused him.

Though, he had a feeling it had to do with her kind-hearted nature, and perhaps his own gentleness with the kunoichi.

"I have somewhere I think you would like to see, Sakura," the Uchiha murmured, snapping her out of her daze.

"Hm? Really?"

"Yeah, I found it on my travels," he said, not really sharing much about the location at all.

Sakura smiled and glanced at Garuda, "I guess _this _is what you meant by _cheating_?"

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded his head.

He was short on time as it is, even though he would personally prefer to actually take her there. Though, the trip time would be a day on its own. With Garuda, it should only be a few hours. Though, he hoped she would be fine with a few stops on the way. After all, he really had a lot to show her in those three days they had.

.

.

Sasuke had bought Sakura clothing in the first village they came upon. He had sent Garuda off to collect its food as they strolled through the tiny village, searching for clothing she could wear. At the end of it, he had bought her a cloak and a few sets of clothing that matched her wonderfully.

She had taken off her lab coat, and put it away in a small bag that Sasuke had brought along for her. She slipped over, changing into the new clothes she had been given. The coat was a shock to her; it looked like it would be heavy, but it was just so _light_. It was a shock to her system. Sasuke had actually allowed Sakura to wear his coat for the ride to the village (it was very cold up high in the air), and his was a lot heavier in comparison.

It was also extremely worn with jagged edges. She noticed that there were a few holes in it, and that they looked like they had been done by a kunai or something. Perhaps he had gotten into a fight with someone?

Sasuke leapt onto Garuda and offered his hand to the roseate. She reached up, and helped her upwards. He sat her down in front of him, so he can hold onto her while they flew through the starry night. The full moon was out; which surprised her quite a bit. Garuda leapt into the air, Sasuke's arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her close.

He held her close, burying his head into her shoulder.

Her face was heating up by the intimacy from the Uchiha. He kissed her cheek, licking her again. His fingers found her own, and held onto them, even as odd as it was in the sort of position they were in. She rested against him, closing her eyes. She felt so safe in his arms.

Garuda flapped his large wings and launched itself above the light clouds. It was absolutely beautiful. Like fluffy marshmallows with the moon right in front of them. It kept everything illuminated.

She was shocked though, by the whole beauty of _all of this_. Her mouth dropped lightly.

"Surprised?" Sasuke asked softly, "You haven't been this high?"

Sakura shook her head, "Iie… I never imagined anything _like this _was even possible."

The raven-haired man lowered his eyes, smirking lightly before resting his head above hers, "Then… you're going to be surprised by what I've found."

The roseate's mouth opened before closing, "Nani?"

The Uchiha went quiet and snuggled further into her warmth. Even in his heavy clothing, he could still feel her. He could feel her warmth, and he could feel her gentle chakra. He could sense everything about her in the lonely sky.

"Does Garuda know where we're going?" Sakura asked, looking over her shoulder, her eyes shining because of the moon's light.

"Yeah," Sasuke watched her, his rinnegan eye being hidden behind his long bangs.

He had parted them to the side now, and he was able to stop them from flicking back over. His lone dark eye was on her, and his eyes were more expressive than usual, as well as softer. He was watching her. Studying her.

Sakura blushed heavily and looked away, avoiding his gaze, but he pulled her head back and leaned in so he could kiss her from behind without hurting her neck. She let out a shocked gasp and her eyes slid shut. His tongue was already inside of her mouth, licking away at the sides of her. His glossa soon found hers, and it was a wrestle for dominance.

Of course, he won, but he pulled away for a second before sniffing and leaning in once more, allowing their lip lock to continue like this. Sakura let out soft moan; she gripped onto his pants and cloak, clenching her fists around them. She was enjoying this so much.

A light blush dusted her cheeks softly and she looked splendid in his eyes. If he could take her right now, he would have, but he knew better and swiftly pulled away, not really wanting to take it too far. She hissed at the loss, turning around to face him. His visible eye was closed and he was panting softly.

Sasuke opened his eyes again, regarding her silently, "I went a little too far. Sorry."

Sakura pursed her lips. She understood what he was saying. As romantic as making love for the first time in the sky would be, she would feel really bad if they did _that _on a hawk. Besides, she did not expect Sasuke to have her any time soon. He was, probably, the sort who would wait until after marriage. And Sakura somewhat agreed with that. She would like to wait until after she's married, however, if it _feels _right, she will give her consent.

Sasuke sighed, dropping his head, "You really are… absolutely beautiful, Sakura."

The roseate's eyes widened in absolute shock, "Na… Nani?"

Uchiha closed his eyes, rubbing their foreheads together affectionately. He kissed her hand, holding her close. His eyes opened again, and he watched her silently. He gently held her hand, stroking her knuckles. He lifted the hand up and kissed each of her fingers, before pressing his lips against the back of her hand.

Sakura was staring at him through hooded eyes, her cheeks blazing with heat. This side of Sasuke… she never even expected to have existed.

He pressed her hand against his cheek, closing his eyes and grumbling a soft word that she could not make out. He looked so at peace. She had _never _seen Sasuke like this. He was blushing like she was as well; he was embarrassed. Physical closeness was something that he never really was committed in. He never really did affectionate gestures such as this. He was the sort to shy away from physical contact.

Yet, here he was, holding Sakura in his arms, and pressing his lips in every spot that would still be considered as being innocent. His dark eyes seemed to be brownish. There was a brown tint to his usually pure onyx eyes. It was so different. Sakura supposed it may have been the moonlight that brought out his hidden eye colour, but she could also be seeing things.

"We're nearly there," Sasuke spoke after a while, "It's time. Garuda… you know where to land."

This time, he was talking to the taka that they were sitting upon. The overgrown hawk started to descend, going through the light cloud cover. Sakura watched as the trees became more easily notable, and she saw a river system and a few lakes. The lakes' water glinted in the moonlight, causing a reflection of Sasuke and Sakura sitting upon the hawk to show in the surface.

.

.

Soon, they landed. It was right in the middle of a clearing with a large lake in the centre. However, what drew Sakura in the most was a rock structure; a waterfall that seemed to be hollow on the inside, the moonlight shining through. Sasuke helped Sakura off once more, carrying her in his arms. Her weight was something he enjoyed holding onto.

"Wow…" Sakura murmured, her eyes were still on the rocks that the waterfall gently fell off of.

The water was very thin, more like a spring.

Sasuke gently lowered her onto her feet, "It's… a place that I come to quite often. There is a small cottage here as well."

"I see," Sakura murmured.

Sasuke took her hand and lead her through a trail that darted into the heavy forest. Sakura followed after him, taking in the scent of a musky forest. She noted that it smelled a lot like him. While, he had a seemingly stronger smell in comparison to the forest. Almost earthy with a bit of ash. It was probably because of how he used katon jutsu a lot in his life; nearly daily, and it just melded into his natural scent.

Sakura stilled when she felt him stop, her feet stopping from shuffling along behind his long and powerful strides. She noticed that there were lights that led the way; kind of like willow wisps. It was an odd thing as they hovered, but she guessed that they could be odd-coloured fire flies as well. However, Sasuke seemed to be intrigued by this as well.

He allowed his hand to open in front of him, as one of the odd insects landed on his hand. This one was a pink one, and she presumed that he had activated his kekkei genkai to study the little creature. More gathered on his hand; a green one, blue one and a yellow one.

Sasuke turned around, Sakura was holding onto his sleeve now as he allowed her to look at the creatures. She was right. He had activated his sharingan. The bloody red eye was seemingly glowing due to the moonlight (or was it because of him?). She looked at the creatures, her eyes straining, but she was astounded by their odd colouration.

"Perhaps," he started, "there's more to these as we ever really thought."

The roseate nodded her head and smiled in agreement, "I think so too."

And soon, the creatures took off from his hand as he dropped it and replaced his sleeve with his hand. He preferred holding her in some way, even if it does not seem like much. Though, it means a lot to him. _A lot_.

"We're nearly there, come," he said softly.

.

.

He had prepared her something that was simple, but delicious. The tastes in her mouth was something she would never forget. Sweet. He did not eat his; she knew it was because sweet things were utterly disgusting to his tastebuds. She picked up the sweet rice with her fork and continued eating, nodding her head.

"Good?" he asked quietly, slightly afraid to ask.

She nodded her head, a blush appearing as she grinned softly, "It is wonderful, thank you."

"Good…" he repeated, not asking as a question again.

The Uchiha collected her plate when she finished and washed everything up, her drying the plates and the pots Sasuke had used. Sasuke sighed and pulled her close once they finished, his fingers finding their way to her hair, and gently brushing the rose-haired through his fingers. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, his fingers still tangled in her hair. She was stunning in his eyes.

Sasuke kissed her nose this time, watching through hooded eyes as she blushed and turned a bright pink. He smirked at her, proud that he could get this type of reaction from her. _Still _could get this type of reaction from her. He lowered his hand that was in her hair and gently cupped her cheek, kissing her lips softly. It was a chaste kiss; he had no intention of taking it further.

She felt her back pressed against the counter in the kitchen, as he steadily lifted her up. Her arms wrapped around his waist as he pressed gentle kisses against her throat. He lowered his head a little, and then pressed his head against her chest. His breathing was laboured, Sakura noticed. She gently threaded her fingers through his raven locks. His eyes closed as he relaxed against her, sighing heavily.

"I have one more thing to show you… for now," Sasuke uttered, pulling away.

Sakura rose a pink eyebrow in slight confusion, "Na… Nani?"

"Come on," he took her hand once more.

.

.

"Wow…" her mouth was formed in an 'o' shape, "So this is… you undid the jutsu underneath the water fall?"

Sasuke nodded his head, watching her reactions as she looked around the cave, with a 'window' seemingly allow the moonlight to seep in, illuminating the walls. The walls also seemed to light up, much like a glow stick. She guessed it was some sort of fungus or an organism, but she still enjoyed the light blue light nonetheless.

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded his head, "I thought that this was the best place to tell you a few things…"

Sakura looked confused, looking over her shoulder.

"Sit," Sasuke motioned towards a few blankets that were left inside of the water fall.

The roseate nodded her head and sat cross-legged on the blankets. He sat down in front of her, holding her hand. He stroked her fingers, leaning in and brushing his cheek against the side of her hand before he held it normally in his lap.

"Naruto hasn't told you anything… about… my past, right?" Sasuke asked, somewhat ashamed he had to bring up this topic.

However, she _had _to know.

"No… he didn't," Sakura said, pursing her lips, "I did… I did want to know, but he and Kakashi thought it was best that I… that I didn't know."

Her eyes were downcast, and she was no longer looking at him.

Sasuke frowned, silently cursing the dobe and his old sensei, "Perhaps, it's better that you learn from me, anyways."

"Huh?"

"I… want you to know. You of all people deserve to know," Sasuke said, he closed his eyes and thought of his next words, "Nii-san… he wasn't the bad guy I thought he was…"

Sakura looked confused.

Sasuke continued, "He wanted to protect me… He was given a mission, a simple one, really. He had to… take down the entirety of the Uchiha clan. Everyone. As well as me. However, he did a deal with the Third that allowed me to live. Itachi… suffered. He suffered because of the decisions made by the Third, and by Danzou," Sasuke's fists clenched by his sides, "He had to become the bad guy that everyone hated… he _had _to. There was no choice, nothing. He was forced to live as a missing-nin. Also, he joined the Akatsuki to spy on them. That was it.

"He had no intention at all to… to… do anything the Akatsuki asked. He watched over the Akatsuki…" the raven-haired man closed his eyes, "My brother fought me, as we all know. But he had no intention of killing me, of having me die. He just… He just wanted _me _to kill him, so I could gain the mangekyou," at this, the last Uchiha's sharingan activated unconsciously and fell into the normal mangekyou form, "so that I could become stronger."

Sakura nodded her head, "So… he planned this all out?"

"Aa. He wanted me to… to return to the Hidden Leaf after I killed him," Sasuke leaned back, dragging a leg upwards so he could lean on it.

The roseate's mouth opened in slight shock, "But you… after that… you joined the Akatsuki…?"

Sasuke nodded his head, "Obito told me, albeit laced with some lies, what Itachi had done, and the mission. I had so much anger against the village… they had caused Itachi to suffer… that's what I thought. I couldn't 'see' properly. I was slipping further and further into the darkness…" His eyes slipped closed, "… And in Land of Iron," he heard Sakura take a heavy breath, "I completely lost myself.

"I did things that I knew were wrong, but… at the time… I just… didn't care…" Sasuke's eyes opened again, the rinnegan and sharingan clashing, "what I did to you then… I'll never be able to forgive myself for that."

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura reached for him, "I'm sorry… I'm the one who…"

Sasuke closed his eyes and shook his head, "Iie… Sakura…" he dragged her onto him, "I'm the one at fault," he paused, "but I promise, I promise that I'll never… never hurt you again."

The green-eyed girl's eyes widened, "Sas—"

His lips met hers and he crushed her against his chest. She was crying against him. He felt it, and pulled away before pressing his lips against her tears, kissing them away. Sakura moaned gently, and Sasuke pulled away, wiping away stray tears that he had not collected.

"Sasuke-kun… I love you… I always have, and I always will," Sakura whispered, nuzzling close into his warmth.

"…" he hesitated before brushing his lips against her head, "Thank you."

.

_tbc_

.

Okay, so I'll probably not be able to update for a while due to school. Also, the next chapter in the series will be unrelated (though all these are related in some way, shape or form) to this one until I have the time to do the next part of this one. Well, I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter.

\- xxredemption-love-and-liesxx


	7. First Day at the Academy

**Firsts**  
xxredemption-love-and-liesxx  
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_07: First Day at the Academy_  
[T+]  
**warning: **slight fondling, and pointing towards sex.

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Sarada was an excited child. She wandered around the house, cleaning up and putting things into her bag. The ravenette grasped onto the bag, heaving it onto one shoulder. The five year old was a tidy one. She wore clean clothing that made her look smart and sophisticated. The little girl was an intelligent one, so that was a given.

Her parents were in the kitchen, talking about events they had on that day, and Sarada was yet to properly greet them. Also, she had to have breakfast soon as well.

"Sara-chan!" the girl heard her mother call from the kitchen.

Sarada picked up one more book and stuffed it away, before heading into the kitchen. She laid the brand new bag against the wall before slipping inside the kitchen. Boxes littered the kitchen still, seeing as they had moved into another house now. It was in the centre of the village, near Naruto. Apparently, her parents felt like getting a larger house, and, seeing as they were the Uchiha clan, they could easily afford to buy a house.

However, they still owned the past apartment and rented it out so they could gain a profit from that.

Sakura's pink-haired mother had her hair tied up, and she was buttering and slathering jam over toast. She cut two pieces of toast in half, and offered it to Sarada.

"Morning, Mama, Papa," Sarada greeted, smiling gently.

Sasuke nodded and grunted his greeting, while Sakura gave her daughter a matching smile and a cheerful 'hello'.

Sarada took her two pieces of toast and began eating.

.

.

Both Sasuke and Sakura walked Sarada to school, the two of them walking along the street, their fingers intertwined. Sasuke was going to leave tomorrow, and that made him affectionate towards Sakura, especially with the last week he has with her before he leaves on a mission—one that make sure that all the nations are getting along well, and taking out missing-nins that have caused problems for others. It was just a thing that only really Sarada's father could do.

The Uchihas walked through the streets steadily, people glancing their way and greeting the (still young) family. While it had been a surprise that the Uchiha clan was reformed once more, it was accepted. Many had finally, finally forgiven Sasuke for the crimes he had committed all those years ago, and he was able to wander around on his own with less rude stares from the public. While, he did not care what people had said to him, or about him, it rather peeved him off when Sakura was added in on their conversations.

Sarada was shaking lightly; they could see the academy. While she was not one to be scared, it was still frightening to a child who had never really been in an environment like a school.

"Are you okay, Sara-chan?" Sakura asked, her eyes glancing at her daughter, "It's okay to be scared."

Sasuke's attention was on the both of them, but he made no intention of adding in anything. He just watched. Besides, it would be unwise of him to say anything. He did not care what others thought, but his daughter, on the other hand, was a lot like her mother in that regard. However, like him, she would not allow others to get away with insulting her or her family. Really, all of them were like that.

"A little," Sarada confessed, closing her large, onyx eyes, "But I'm okay, Mama."

Sakura unhooked her fingers from Sasuke, and ruffled Sarada's hair. The little girl let out a whine of complaint, but did not say much else.

The roseate smiled gently and pulled the strands of hair back into the way they were before, "I know you will be, Sara-chan. If you're anything like Papa, you'll teach anyone who crosses you—" she raises her fist mockingly, "—that they shouldn't mess with an Uchiha."

Sasuke chuckled from his side, shaking his head, "I'm not that bad."

The roseate looked at Sasuke, eyes wide, "You _liar_."

The Uchiha patriarch allowed another laugh to escape, "Ah, perhaps."

"Not, _perhaps_, it's more like legit! You would react that way!" Sakura said, grinning brightly, amusement etched into her features.

Sarada watched this exchange between her parents before giggling.

Sasuke glanced down at his daughter and smirked, "Feeling better, Sarada?"

The little girl nodded her head, "Arigatou, Papa, Mama."

"Ah."

"It's fine!"

.

.

When they arrived at the school, the first thing that happened was a blond moron banging into Sarada, knocking her to the ground. Of course, she picked herself up, and nearly went over to whoop that stupid, stupid moron, but Sasuke beat her to the punch, literally whacking the boy across the head.

"Ah! Teme-oji!" Boruto cursed, rubbing his now aching head, "Why? I didn't mean to."

Sakura helped Sarada up, and glared over at the blue-eyed child, "Boruto. You should know better."

"Bah! As if you'd know, ''ttbasa!" Boruto said, pointed a tanned finger at his aunt, "Besides, it's Inojin's fault, anyways."

"How?" Sarada asked, straightened her glasses and dusting herself off, "_you're _the one that ran into me—without apologizing, mind you."

"Oh, ah… sorry, Sarada," Boruto murmured sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, "And Inojin and me were playing tag!"

And with saying Inojin's name once more, the Yamanaka tagged Boruto's shoulder, and ran off again, with Shikadai laughing his head off. Boruto darted off once more, trying to get to Inojin or Shikadai or hell, even ChouChou and Aoi(**1**).

Sarada rolled her eyes at their antics, before looking at her father, "Say, Papa, do you think you can hit Naruto-oji for me?"

"Naruto, huh…?" Sasuke muttered, shaking his head, "Ah. It's his fault that brat is the way he is."

"Thank you, Papa."

.

.

"You think she'll be okay, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, relaxing on the couch, leaning against Sasuke.

"Ah," Sasuke nodded his head, "Boruto may be a moron, but he will stay around her. As will the others."

The roseate nodded her head, closing her eyes.

"Don't you fall asleep on me, Sakura."

Sakura's eyes darted open, as she looked at her husband. His eyes were narrowed, and he was watching her with utter amusement. He grasped her head, and turned it a little so he could kiss her with ease. He lowered his hand, brushing against her breast, making his intentions known.

He pulled away for a moment, "Sarada is gone… and Mama is now free…" he breathed against her neck, "And I'm leaving tomorrow… Sakura."

He squeezed her breast before pulling his hand underneath her shirt to fondle her, "You know what I want, Sakura."

Sakura purred lightly, and allowed him to continue with his ministrations.

.

.

"How as it?" Sasuke asked, looking down at his daughter.

"Good," she said, the little girl allowing a grin to fall onto her features, "Boruto was annoying as always—" her father coughed, "—but ChouChou is amazing."

"Huh, Akimichi?" Sasuke asked, raising a brow.

"Hai. And even Aoi is fine as well," Sarada said, nodding her head, "As is Shikadai. We played shoji at lunch too."

The Uchiha nodded again, "Who was your teacher?"

"Ah, Iruka-sensei. He was your teacher, ne, Papa?"

"Hn," Sasuke smirked, "he was. Your uncle used to be a pain in the ass when it came to Iruka."

Sarada turned her head, confused, "Really?"

"Yes, he used to play jokes on him," Sasuke said, laughing lightly at the memories of his childhood—the few that were not completely dark, and revolved around his elder brother.

The young girl's smile faded, "Papa… do you think I'll be as strong as you and Mama?"

Now, _that _took Sasuke by surprise. He paused and glanced to her side. She was clenched her fingers together, stroking them together. It was a habit that she may have picked up from her shy aunt, and it was something that got Sasuke a little worried. He wanted his child to have good confidence; albeit, not as bad as his own.

Sasuke crouched down so they were at eye level, "Trust me, Sarada, you'll be more powerful than _I _ever was. And your Mama… she is stronger than I am. Focus on her… and make sure that you don't throw important things away."

"Important things?"

"You'll understand when you're older," Sasuke leaned in a pressed his lips against her forehead, "But… you'll… definitely, definitely be stronger then I was. You won't throw away the things I did, and you won't take things for granted like I did."

"Huh?"

Sasuke shook his head, pulling away, "Nothing. I'll tell you when you're a genin."

"A genin, ka?" Sarada asked, her eyes glinting, "Maybe I can be like Itachi-oji and get out of the academy early."

"Iie. Don't be so quick to grow up, Sarada. Have a childhood. Enjoy it," the man said, ruffling his child's dark hair.

Sarada pursed her lips before breaking into a smile, "I will, Papa."

"Good."

.

.

tbc

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notes: (**1**)—Lee's… kid…? Aoi à means "blue"

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.

And there's another one done.

Literally unedited so don't evn thk bout tllg me bout mstks ok? [bah]

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed.


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